GET OUT THERE AND ENJOY OUR ENVIRONMENT “Just north of South Haven, MI, you will find one of the state’s unique natural treasures. The Nature Conservancy’s Ross Coastal Plain Marsh is 1,449 acres of beauty and is home to a stunning variety of habitats, plants, and wildlife. The diversity of life found at Ross can …

Enbridge Settlement Funding Research on Control of Aquatic Invasive Species A project begun this year in the Fort Custer Recreation Area (FCRA) is a three year research project into control of aquatic invasive species (AIS). It is a multi-pronged approach to control AIS in the FCRA, developed and implemented by the Michigan Department of Natural …

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of over 3,000 man made chemicals that began being produced in the mid 1900s. PFAS are extremely stable chemical compounds. They have many industrial applications such as firefighting foam, waterproofing, and insecticides. As you can see their applications would possibly lead to widespread ground applications and potential …

The Right Tools for the Job Have you done your dormant pruning yet? Have you found that your tools are not working as well as they should? They aren’t the right tools if it takes a lot of your energy to get the job done or if the cuts are not clean. Below is some …

Milkweed The Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) one variety of milkweed common to Michigan. Common milkweed For more information on this and other Milkweed plants, please go to Milk Weed Sources in Michigan as compiled by Murray Cooper, KGC Horticulture Chair.

Black and Pale Swallow-worts Cynanchum louiseae ( Vincetoxicum nigrum) and Cynanchum rossicum ( Vincetoxicum rossicum) Plant Threatens Michigan Monarchs Swallow-wort can be confused with Milkweed by Monarch butterflies because their seed pods are similar. This Michigan decorative garden plant, brought to the United States during the 19th century, has affected how Monarchs develop. For more …

Braconid Wasp Tomato hornworm covered with white cocoons of Braconid Wasp Photo Taken by Amy Nelson at Crispe House, Plainwell, MI. While gardening at Crispe House this week we came across a Tomato Hornworm in the vegetable garden near the back of the house next to the drive way. I found the Tomato Hornworm pictured to …